"Gather all the remaining soldiers. Let's regroup and leave these waters."
"We can't be certain whether those maniacs from the Rocks Pirates might return, so we must remain vigilant."
Garp stepped forward, patting Sengoku's shoulder with a grave tone.
This time, the group had brought a full ten warships—a configuration clearly matching the scale of a Buster Call. In terms of elite combat power, it was even more formidable: two Admirals, and among the four Vice Admirals, three possessed strength rivaling that of Admirals. Combined, they effectively had five Admiral-level fighters, with only Tsuru being slightly weaker among the Vice Admirals. A standard Buster Call typically involved only five Vice Admirals. With such an outrageous lineup, the Navy had practically lost their minds this time.
Yet, the higher the configuration and the greater the numbers, the more severe the losses turned out to be. Six warships were completely annihilated, reduced to broken wreckage submerged in the sea. Even the four surviving warships had lost over half their crew. Beyond that, the loss of two Admirals was an even greater blow. Though they were aging, they still served as the Navy's pillars. Losing two at once would leave the top brass limping. Compared to the previous incident, this was a far more devastating strike.
Whether it was the initial clash of Conqueror's Haki, the recent wave of destructive annihilation, or the terrifying tsunami that swiftly followed the explosion, these waters had collectively buried over seventy percent of the dispatched Navy forces. How could Garp not feel heartache? It was only by suppressing his grief that he managed to comfort Sengoku. He knew all too well the immense psychological pressure Sengoku, as the mission commander, was under.
Zephyr also stepped forward, patting Sengoku's other shoulder. Some things were better left unspoken.
"Mm, I understand," Sengoku replied, his expression grim and unable to force a smile. He could only nod, unsure how else to respond.
Scanning the four remaining warships, he noticed the Celestial Dragon was still alive, though unconscious with a large bump on his head. During the earlier tsunami, he had been knocked over, striking the railing and passing out. For the CP0 agents, this was somewhat a relief—at least they no longer had to restrain him like a hog. Seeing the Celestial Dragon alive eased a fraction of the weight on Sengoku's mind. No matter the outcome, the Celestial Dragon's survival meant the operation had achieved at least one objective, giving the World Government something to account for.
"Tsuru, gather all Navy personnel. We're leaving," Sengoku ordered as she approached.
"Understood," Tsuru nodded, swiftly rallying the survivors.
Sengoku then flew toward the warship carrying the Celestial Dragon to offer reassurances—a responsibility he bore as commander.
The Navy quickly assembled the remaining forces and departed the area with the four surviving warships.
Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away on a deserted island, Brian waited until the echoes of the explosion faded completely before slowly opening his eyes.
He and Griffin had flown to this spot earlier.
Just in time to hear the violent explosion caused by the clash between the move he left behind and the attacks of Garp and the other two.
Even from such a distance, he could still feel the intense blast.
The sound kept coming incessantly.
The fierce winds and surging waves generated by the explosion were unfolding right beneath their feet.
Brian was thoroughly enjoying it.
It was worth hiding alone high up in the sky, silently gathering energy for over ten minutes.
Only then could he unleash such a massive move.
Seeing such an absurd effect, he had a rough idea of the limits he could currently achieve.
After opening his eyes, Brian turned his gaze toward Griffin beside him.
More precisely, toward Shiki on Griffin's wing.
"Shiki, if you're awake, say something. Stop pretending to be dead."
"Gyahahaha~"
"Pfft, cough, cough~"
Exposed, Shiki forced himself to move away from the wing.
Standing next to Brian, Shiki clutched his chest and coughed before speaking slowly.
"Thank you so much this time, Brian. I, I—"
"Cough, cough~"
For Shiki, this was undoubtedly the most perilous situation he had faced since setting out to sea, bar none.
Being surrounded and attacked by Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr, he had teetered on the edge of life and death multiple times.
If not for his youth, strength, and robust physique—
And if he hadn't stubbornly clung to his last breath using Life Return at the end—
He would have likely died in the earlier battle.
Of course, a large part of the reason was that Garp and the others had held back.
They wanted to capture Shiki, the infamous great pirate of the New World, alive.
They aimed to bring him back breathing, not as a corpse.
That was why they had expended so much effort without going all out.
Otherwise, Shiki would have long been pummeled into mincemeat by Garp and the others.
Not just kicked around like a ball.
Even so, his current condition remained extremely weak.
Overusing Life Return had even caused some of his hair to turn slightly white.
Without several months of recuperation, he wouldn't return to his peak.
"No need to thank me."
"Coincidentally, I gained quite a lot from this too."
As he spoke, Brian smirked slyly and pulled out a Den Den Mushi.
With a casual tap, a screen appeared before them.
Shiki was stunned!
Seeing the series of miserable photos of himself on the screen, he felt utterly distraught.
"Brian, what are you doing? Why did you take so many awful pictures of me?"
"Hurry up and delete them for me! This, this, this—it's simply outrageous."
One after another, the pitiful images of his defeat were displayed.
Shiki's mind began flashing back to the memories of being brutally beaten by Garp and the other two.
For a moment, he felt numb, even on the verge of breaking down.
"Don't overthink it, Shiki. I turned back specifically for these photos."
"I can hold these over you for a lifetime."
"Gyehehehe~"
Brian laughed heartily.
Shiki, oh Shiki, even a thick-browed, big-eyed guy like you has a day like this.
Admittedly, Brian's move only worked on the current Shiki.
These miserable post-defeat photos were the first he had encountered in over twenty years.
Even if he had lost before, it had never been this wretched, let alone captured on camera.
At this moment, Shiki was at the stage where his pride mattered most.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so easily provoked by Brian and his crew's cowardly taunts earlier.
If it were the version of him from several decades later in the original story, this approach would have been far less effective.
The Shiki of several decades later had experienced far too much—a true veteran pirate through and through.
Such trivial matters would have been nothing to him.
He might have even joined you in calmly observing the spectacle.
And engaged in a heartfelt conversation about his feelings and reflections after his defeat.
But not now. Watching this scene now, he felt nothing but overwhelming shame.
Especially when he heard Brian say he'd support him for life—he was utterly shocked.
Was this bastard plotting something sinister against him?
No way!!!